Crawl control made a fan out of me...

So I know pics are deceiving and they seldom do justice to terrain features so let me just explain what you’re looking at and why I said what I said.

The road in the pic is very rough and rutted and strewn with loose rocks and crumbly sand, plus it drops off steeply with a drop off and reverse pitch just where it disappears in the foreground. At the very bottom is a narrow wash with very steep banks which the rain has eroded to almost vertical drops on either side. To describe it as hairy would be an understatement.

It is technically a county road but they stopped maintaining it a couple years back and so has eroded dramatically as a consequence. If you know the way, it is a shortcut in the desert expanse between two major highways. It can shave a good hour and a half to two hours off the trip if you’re willing to risk it.

Today I was feeling frisky when I found myself in front of it with only an hour or so of daylight left. I wouldn’t have been so apprehensive had I not been alone. I’ve done it before in a modded off road work vehicle, but that was with a buddy to guide me and the road wasn’t in as bad a shape at the time. Still I really wanted to know how my Taco would do in CC so I went for it.

I said a little prayer, put it in 4-Lo, engaged the lockers and CC and went for it. Thing went up like it was on an escalator. No problem whatsoever. It made it seem downright easy. I always though CC was more of a gimmick than anything but honestly it seems to work pretty damn good. One other time I was in the same general area and it got me out of another hairy situation no sweat.

I don’t know about anybody else but I’m finding myself liking the feature...

 

Glad all went well for you today in your shortcut! Nothing better than having fun and having a safe outcome i personally haven’t used cc yet... did 4lo and locked the rear today in some muddy muck with a full bed of wood and a 5x8 trailer full it also...let me say being as heavy as I was in muddy muck... I was pleased with the outcome... I am running 265-75-16 ko2’s... what tires are you running? Did you air down by chance?

 

Oh by the way... what a view!!

 

285-75-16’s. Didn’t air down because I have no way to air back up once I hit pavement.

- Well, let me take that back. I do but it’s for emergencies as it would take a long time to do.

 

Gotcha.... I carry a heavy duty bike pump with me... 2 reasons. I can air up once Aires down which is rare and 2 I have air bags in the rear and a couple pumps I’m full of air and off I go with my load.... haven’t committed to onboard air.

 

I like the crawl control but the abs pump kicking in constantly and its noise is annoying. You should also invest in some portable air compressor and a fix a flat tire plugging kit so you can make a trail tire repair as needed. Those items are cheap insurance.

Where was this at?

 

I have them in the truck. That’s why I updated the post. I’m just too impatient to air down then air back up when I hit pavement.

Southern New Mexico.

 

I can relate to pictures not doing any justice. I’ve been in some situation where I look at the pic and it looks flat whereas in person all I see is a wall lol.
Just for future reference, I’ve aired down to 20psi while still driving on the highway. You can make it to a gas station even if it’s at a distance. It’s only dangerous when you’re in the sub 15psi range. I’ve done that too but for a short distance since the connecting trail was only 2 miles away.

 

I look forward to testing Crawl Control now that I bought my truck! Haven't had a chance to get out on a off road trip yet but hopefully next spring.

 

I had wanted to try to get stuck without crawl and then use the crawl to get out like they had done in this youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19BNRvuNLWE

 

https://youtu.be/xZOg8bzVT5s?t=16

 

Nice! Always fun! Also, you don't have to engage your locker for CC. If anything it kind of hinders it.

 

Pulled a 1/2ton Chevy 2wd out of a rabbit hole one time using clutch cancel start on my 5MT T4R. In a blinding rain storm with about 2 inches of rain standing in the field. He had driven across the field and didn't see the rabbit hole due to the standing water. Was down to the A-frame on the front wheel. He was smart enough not to try to get it out and bury the rear. Even so, others had tried (too hard) to get him out without success due to how slick it was in the field. I put my wife's 4Runner in 1st gear in 4Lo, pressed the clutch cancel button, then turned the key. The 4Runner didn't even spin the tires! The starter crept him up over the hole lip and forward two feet, DONE. Everybody was standing around in that driving rain up in the Davy Crockett National Forest, with their jaws slack, amazed, declaring, "That thing didn't even spin! The starter pulled him out!" Made some Detroit Iron addicts into 4Runner believers that day.

 

define clutch start cancel for me please? only in america does one need to depress the clutch to start so i assume it overrides the clutch pedal switch and allows for turn key to just start like in the rest of the world?

So what was the decision behind using the starter turning the engine with everything engaged instead of using the engine running in/at idle?

 

Clutch start cancel: For the sake of explanation let's say you are positioned on the edge of a cliff facing uphill and do not have space behind you to roll backwards as you lift your foot off the brake and release the clutch. Clutch start cancel is a button that you push to allow the starter to engage the flywheel and turn it to start the engine without having to have the clutch pushed to the floor. Clutching it to start is one of the safety features to keep your kid from starting the car and running over you or grandma when they decide to play in the car. Cancel it by pressing the clutch start button. The 4Runner is in gear while the engine is off. You simply turn the ignition key and, provided the starter can rotate the flywheel, the engine will start, providing instant forward movement without rearward roll and allowing you to extract yourself from the precarious situation. Or run Grandma over with only the turn of a key. You can also pull the coil wire and the engine won't start, but the starter will pull the vehicle as if it was the engine. Back in '93 when our 4Runner was made, this was about all the crawl control that you got for your money.

Simple: Traction. Others had tried every other approach to extract the guy with no success. Everybody lost traction and spun. By using the starter motor the torque was applied slowly and gently, preventing tire spin. I didn't need a lot of torque, I just needed a little torque applied slowly, in such a way as to provide a gentle, extended twisting moment to prevent tire spin.

 

Sweet explanation. The cliff scenario made good sense for this approach.
Next question: Usually the starter is just having to overcome the force needed to spin the flywheel and then associated crankshaft and connecting rods. Wouldn't the starter now be exposed to a lot more resistance in order to spin the same in addition to the clutch which is connected to the gears which are engaged? The different gears obviously reduce the amount of resistance/hard work needed since that how gears work and that might be even the answer to my question. Thanks for staying on topic and not going on a rant like it usually happens on forums Tony!

 

Technically, yes, the starter would receive additional wear, but it isn't like this is an every day thing. But it's also designed to all work together. The starter produces an enormous amount of torque.

 

How did we ever survive without CC? Central Baja 35 miles off the highway with another 20 miles to the coast. Didnt see another vehicle going in or out in my 2003 Tundra a couple of years ago. Sorry about the lame rotated foto!

 

Yep, haven't used clutch start since. Still, when you need it it is a good thing to have. Does Toyota still include this on their MT vehicles? Still got that 4R too. Waiting on retirement to do a bow to stern PM and get it back out on the road. We parked it under the awning a few years ago and haven't driven it since. Cleanest '93 I know of. Was Mamma's baby, all highway miles to/from work, with a few trips to the lake pulling a boat.

 

Fixed!